Arguing that any conflict in Iran would have disastrous consequences, India on Tuesday alleged that a series of recent media reports in the US have distorted New Delhi's foreign policy objectives and energy security needs.
"Unfortunately, though, a series of recent media reports have presented a picture which not only distorts India's foreign policy objectives and energy security needs, but also creates misunderstanding about its actions," the Indian Embassy spokesman Virander Paul said in a press statement.
It is one of the rare instances, when the Indian Embassy in Washington has issued an official statement in response to any news reports in the American media, which have questioned New Delhi's decision to continue oil trade with Iran.
These reports, Paul said, overlook the imperative of India's dependence on oil imports from Iran to serve the energy needs of its people, more than 400 million of whom do not as yet have access to commercial energy.
"Allusions in the media that India's overall oil imports from Iran are increasing just because its monthly uptake of Iranian oil reportedly increased in January this year are based on selective use of information, misrepresenting the fact that in aggregate terms, crude imports from Iran constitute a declining share of India's oil imports," the statement said.
"Nonetheless, given the imperative of meeting the energy needs of millions of Indians, an automatic replacement of all Iranian oil imports, is not a simple matter of selection, or a realistic option," it added.
Asserting that as a responsible member of the international community, India takes its obligations most seriously, the statement said, at the same time, it firmly believes that the situation concerning Iran should not be allowed to escalate into a conflict, the disastrous consequences of which will be in nobody's interest.
"As a country that has six million of its nationals in the Gulf region, India is naturally concerned and urges all it partners to give diplomacy a fair chance to seek a peaceful resolution of the issues involved," the statement said.
During the past several weeks, Paul said there have been several stories about India's import of Iranian crude oil carried by the media, many of which have presented a distorted picture by basing their conclusions on speculation and inaccurate information.
"These stories have in turn generated concerns here, including among some Members of the US Congress. Against this backdrop, we believe that it is important that the position of the Government of India and India's policy towards Iran is adequately understood," he noted.
"India's relationship with Iran is neither inconsistent with non-proliferation objectives, nor do we seek to contradict the relationships we have with our friends in West Asia or with the United States and Europe," he said.
India has consistently said that Iran must cooperate with the IAEA to address and resolve all outstanding issues about its nuclear program, issues that continue to raise understandable doubts in the minds of the international community, the statement said.
India believes that while Iran has rights to peaceful uses of nuclear energy, it must simultaneously and rigorously fulfil the treaty obligations which it has acceded to. Our stand in this regard has been, and remains, consistent, well-enunciated including in the IAEA, and perfectly clear, it said.
India has scrupulously adhered to the multilateral sanctions against Iran as mandated by the UN, and remains fully engaged with the US Administration and Congress on this issue, the statement said adding that to provide perspective, it may be added that the linkages between the Indian and Iranian people are civilisational.
"Iran is also India’s only corridor for land access to Afghanistan, through which is routed most of our development and reconstruction assistance to that country – a historic mission to assist Afghanistan, in which India and the United States share a deep convergence of interests," he said.
Observing that India's relationship with the US is built on shared values and converging interests, Paul said it is based on the fundamental belief that the two nations have mutually beneficial stakes in each other’s success.
"Indeed, in India, we attach crucial importance to our strategic partnership with the United States both for advancing global peace, stability and progress, as well as in the pursuit of India's national development goals," he said.
"The bipartisan encouragement and support that the India-US strategic partnership has received in the US Congress is a source of immense strength and abiding inspiration for us. We remain confident that this partnership will only grow stronger in the times ahead," the statement said.